Africa Cares Tennis Challenge creates space with Mercedes Benz Sandton to discuss GBV

South Africa, which is known for its rich history of fighting against discrimination, faces one of its biggest challenges to date – gender-based violence.

The Africa Cares Tennis Challenge invited various guests and a few companies for a discussion, Africa Cares Tennis Power Breakfast, which was centred on the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) on January 28 in Sandton.

The conversation was hosted and sponsored by Mercedes Benz Sandton and led by communication strategist Thami Nkadimeng, who did not shy away from asking her guests hard questions.

The ‘power breakfast’ discussion offered both insightful and helpful tools to repair society from all the inhumane behaviours of violence and abuse in various environments: from schools, online platforms to working environments. The campaign had a series of guest speakers and panellists who were more than equipped in discussing the issue.

Puleng Segalo, a professor at the University of South Africa, shared her thoughts on the challenges that people in various environments face on a regular basis. Segalo said, “One of the things we need to pay attention to is the ‘everydayness’. We usually pay more attention to the brutality of the issue rather than the social institutions: home, schools and places of work.

Followed by the ways in which it affects the well-being and productivity of an individual.

“In the corporate environment, it’s usually about the bottom-line but we need to understand that an individual will not be productive if they’re being abused. As corporate leaders, we have to take on the responsibilities to make sure that we have programmes, workshops and legal aid set for the victims experiencing gender-based violence.”

Journalist and GBV survivor, Yolanda Sibeko, shared with listeners that in any difficult situation that they face, ‘placing themselves first’ will guide them to recovery.

“You need to walk away from any difficult situation and by doing so you need to place yourself first. Find things that you enjoy doing alone when fearing the idea of being alone, it’s the foundation of putting yourself first. My motto in life is ‘the ending is better than the beginning.’

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https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/305493/bryanston-preschool-opens-discussion-on-gbv-with-parents-for-the-16-days-of-activism/